The Cape is a flourishing hotbed of popular mainstream musical creation. The nightclub scene in the Cape is a breeding ground for progressive sound generation

On the Cape club scene expect all the house varieties from uplifting through hard and all the way to funky. Cape club DJs take their work very seriously - a fact reflected in the volume of local talent jockeying at some of Europe's top clubs. World-renowned DJs from Europe and the USA visit Cape clubs regularly and are always well supported.

Major Cape Town popular music venues include the Rhythm Divine, The Fez, Studio 47, and Rhodes House. Observatory's Lower Main Road, and Claremont's Main Road are also good areas to head for. There's good dancing at Taboo and Obs Café for the trendy among you. Head for the Bronx, Angels or Detour on Main Road in Green Point, Cape Town's three best gay clubs or if you're closer to the Southern Suburbs, check out Galaxy or Images in Athlone. Numerous smaller venues play popular and funky music for dancing crowds until the early hours.

If a touch of nostalgia mixed into the moment is your kind of sound then the Cape has just the ticket. Having flourished in the 50's, the Township Swing scene has survived every new fad and endures as an almost melancholy genre - Township Swing is alive, well and guaranteed to get every toe tapping. The Yellow Door and Duma's Falling Leaves in Gugulethu are two of the most famous venues for township jazz.

No discussion of popular South African and indeed Cape music would be complete without a mention of the country's burgeoning Kwaito phenomenon. Expect big beats and room rocking rhythms. Kwaito is Africa's answer to house music. You can enjoy kwaito at most shebeens (taverns) in the townships. Artists like Ghetto Muffin will get everybody dancing with their unique blend of kwaito and reggae music.

The Cape is big on information on its highlights. Radio, television, newspapers and magazines supply a constant stream of news on who, what and where to find the sound and style you're looking for.

Live Music

The people of the Cape enjoy music. Music is as big a part of the Cape lifestyle as food and wine.

• Cape Town has a number of live music venues who regularly feature top local and international talents.

• Experience Cape Jazz at a multitude of venues where local jazz greats like Abdullah Ebrahiem (Dollar Brand) regularly appear.

• Get a hands-on drumming experience at the Drum Cafe in Cape Town.

• Go cruising on Long Street in Cape Town for a variety of music venues catering for every taste.

• Visit Oudtshoorn during April for the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees. A celebration of Afrikaans music and culture.

Cape Town's most popular, mainstream live music destinations include Dockside at Canal Walk, Mercury Lounge in Zonnebloem, the Armchair Theatre in Observatory, the Baxter in Rondebosch, Greenpoint Stadium and the Bellville Velodrome. Some of the local artists you may see at these venues include Freshly Ground, Delta Blues and Valiant Swart.

Contemporary Jazz is one of the more sought after live sound experiences that can be found throughout the Western Cape. There's the West End in Athlone on the Cape Flats, Dizzy Jazz Café in Camps Bay, The Yellow Door in Gugulethu, Mannenberg's at the V&A Waterfront and many more excellent venues to enjoy live jazz music. There is something about the "chilled" attitude of the people of the Cape that makes jazz the perfect soundtrack for this lifestyle. You can enjoy the music of Abdullah Ebrahiem, N2, Errol Dyers and Mervyn Africa, to name a few local jazz artists.

For something of a more hands-on live music experience, Cape Town's famous Drum Café in Gardens in Cape Town, hosts regular drum circles where patrons can learn from local dudes.

Long Street is Cape Town's answer to the tune-cruisin, scene of New Orleans. Expect a broad and bold selection of bands and musicians generating their own unique brand of soul-searching. Try Mama Afrika for some African music, African jazz and even some room rocking kwaito.

If you're up for a truly authentic "Afrikaner" South African music experience, why not head out into the Karoo for the "Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees" (Little Karoo National Arts Festival). An annual gathering of some of the very best art and music Afrikaner South Africa has to offer. The language may be Afrikaans (one of the three local languages), but the enjoyment and appeal of the festival is universal. The festival takes place each year in early April at the beautiful Karoo town of Oudtshoorn.

Way up the Cape Garden Route, Knysna has a secret - the Tin Roof - host to many great live music bands from all over South Africa. Which goes to show, wherever you are in the Cape, good music is never very far away.

While the Cape is spoiled for live music choice, rest assured - there's a gig guide in every newspaper and an audience up for enjoying local or international talent.

Classical

Classical music is alive and well at the Cape. Local artists like Virginia Davids and Sidwell Hartman have graced many of the worlds prominent stages.

• Experience opera on the water at the annual Aqua Opera at the V&A Waterfront.

• Attend one of the more than 100 concerts of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cape Town City Hall or the Artscape Complex.

• Stellenbosch, in the Cape Winelands, offers the very best in student classical music with regular concerts at the Endler Hall.

• See the Cape's future classical music stars at the annual Young Musicians Concert in George.

Cape Town has its very own opera company that is active in producing exciting performances. They annually host the spectacular Aqua Opera in February on the water at the V&A Waterfront, the Sing-A-Thon in April and the Spring Opera Festival in September. While the classical musical traditions remain alive and thriving, the Cape performing arts scene has increasingly and systematically been cultivating a new audience for opera. A new touring company aimed at creating operas that draw on Xhosa, the local dialect of the Western Cape, has recently been established.

Often supporting the opera, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra has recently merged with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra and is a collection of fantastic local talent. They play about 100 concerts per year and performances are mainly at the Cape Town City Hall or the acoustically "state-of-the-art" Artscape Complex. Performances are also held at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens who regularly host winter and summer concerts with a variety of music, including classical music. They also have a New Year's Eve Concert with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra in attendance.

Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands is also a popular venue for classical music concerts. The Music Department at the Stellenbosch University has an active calendar of concerts at the Endler Hall in Stellenbosch. Concerts are presented by the Stellenbosch University Symphony Orchestra, the Stellenbosch Symphonic Winds and the Stellenbosch University Choir. The Music Department hosts the International Chamber Music Festival annually during the month of July. The event showcases the talent of students and musicians of the community.

In George, on the Cape Garden Route, the George Music Society hosts the annual Young Musicians Concert during September. This event brings together the best local talents in the area. Classical music concerts featuring visiting artists are held regularly in George, Mossel Bay and Knysna.

Jazz

If you love jazz, the Cape will not disappoint. Jazz is played and enjoyed in a variety of venues including cafes, restaurants, cigar bars, clubs and shebeens.

• Visit Cape Town during April to be a part of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

• Enjoy the best in local Jazz at the Cape Jazzathon held each January at the V&A Waterfront.

• Experience Jazz as a way of life at the Cape. You will find Jazz venues from the V&A Waterfront to the townships.

Recognised by both local and international aficionados as "Africa's Grandest Gathering", the annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival embodies the traditions of the North Sea Jazz Festival Den Haag. This 2 day event held each April, is an innovative concept of multi-staged performances under one roof and has captured the imagination of the Cape Jazz scene with the result that this African-flavoured musical extravaganza is now celebrating its 5th fantastic year.

Another Cape Jazz event is the annual Cape Town Jazzathon. Held each year in early January at the V&A Waterfront, the 2004 event attracted some 750 000 fans to enjoy the music of Errol Dyers, Allou April and Tucam Tucam.

Beyond the big band attractions, the Cape is the music making home of so many Jazz musicians whose early inspirations were from the oppressions of apartheid. Many of these famous jazz artists have recently returned from decades of exile and are playing to all who lend their ears. These include Abdullah Ebrahiem, also known as Dollar Brand, and Mervyn Africa. At big city venues, in the quieter recesses of the suburbs and on township corners, Cape Jazz is alive.

Sunday Jazz is also a popular Cape pastime. Catch some jazz brunch at the Winchester Mansions in Cape Town. Other popular jazz venues include Dizzy Jazz Café in Camps Bay, Mannenberg's Jazz Café and the Green Dolphin at the V&A Waterfront. But, whatever day of the week you're looking to Jazz it up, the local Cape media is jam-packed with live music performance guides.

Ethnic Music

Expect to hear fresh local sounds as the Cape provides a live soundtrack to the villages and towns.

• Experience St George's Mall in Cape Town for a festival of live local music on most days.

• Become part of the energy of the African tribal dancers as you start ululating to show your enjoyment.

• See the unique and infectious dance style of the "Gumboot" Dancers.

• Attend one of the many Afrikaans music festivals in the Cape for the best local tunes and great fun.

• New Year's Day in Cape Town is Coon Carnival time. This colourful extravaganza is a unique way to become part of the Cape's heritage.

Cape Town's St Georges Mall epitomizes the phenomenon of a Cape live soundtrack as one man?s music gives way to the next band?s beat with every 100 metres covered.

African song and dance troupes perform in true festive fashion using xylophones, drums, flutes and voices all vibrating to the pulse of the Cape's energy. Look out for traditional tribal rituals - war cries, clattering beadwork, and lyrics of folklore are punctuated by heartfelt ululation. The evocative tribal spirit permeates every inch of the fabric of the nation. So too are the melodious African lullaby's. These are the melodies first sung by the ancestors and taught from one generation to the next.

Eyes open too for the novel "Gumboot" dancers - whooping, whistling, and languid harmonizing all accompanied by the rhythmic boot slapping and stomping are an upbeat tribute to South Africa?s long history of exciting dance.

Afrikaans music is enjoyed by many of the locals. There are a number of festivals, the Cederbergfees (Cederberg Festival) in Clanwilliam on the Cape West Coast, the Rittelfees (Rittel Festival) in Vredendal on the Cape West Coast and the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (Little Karoo National Arts Festival) in Oudtshoorn, dedicated to the enjoyment of Afrikaans music. Afrikaans artists such as Koos Kombuis, Valiant Swart and the evergreen David Kramer are always popular.

If in Cape Town around New Year's Day, visitors will be fortunate enough to witness the "Kaapse Klopse" or Coon Carnival - an annual parade of about 20 000 minstrels through the streets of Cape Town. This is also the time of year you can enjoy the singing of the Cape's Malay choirs and the Cape's many church choirs that are a distinct part of the region's rich musical and cultural tapestry.

Food and Wine 

Recommendations of places to eat, wine farms to visit and a food festivals to put on your calendar